 Maya Mangleyou is the Nutcrackers' Skater Laureate and one mean skater. Known for a take-no-prisoners game face and an intense attitude, we asked Pelvis to strap on the riot gear and ask her a few questions.
You're an intense player, one that's got a war face that makes us forget you're not twenty feet tall. Where did that come from?
The war paint is pretty new, to tell you the truth. It actually started in Montreal with the B Party. I was excited about wearing a different boutfit and really wanted to put something on my face, and lucky for me, a couple of days before we left I found some Hot Topic eyeliner I used to wear in middle school. Orginally, there were like some Inigo Montoya style slashes on my cheeks, but last bout I really wanted to look like an evil twin or Scar from 'The Lion King,' so I went for the one big slash across the face. It's way more sinister.
It was really funny because right before we warmed up for the June bout, I went into the bathroom and when I looked in the mirror the top part of the Scar had smudged from my helmet. So I cursed outloud and this woman glanced up from washing her hands and looked really startled and just whispered: 'Are you okay? Did that JUST happen?'
What's the one pre-bout ritual you will not miss?
When I'm not playing Roller Derby (I know, right?) I work at several a radio station, and frequently I've been stuck at one of the stations on Saturday mornings working on a news/talk show that goes to air on Sunday mornings. Let me tell you, it's hard to get amped up about knocking down Pissahs or Cosmos when you're fact-checking radio scripts about Bio-Diversity.
On your team, who is the person you look to most to clear the way as you jam?
There's so many times when I'm in the Nut Sack that I'm like "Tutus--hands--butts, get me through, get me through!!!" and it's just a cohesive mass not unlike the hand tunnel from David Bowie's 'The Labyrinth.'
But it's a well know fact I mooch rides off of Shark Week on a regular basis--to practice, to team dinner, to the grocery store. So the same goes with the pack, she's been known to give me a sick whip or knock some ladies out of the way.
You've been out with the B Party? What's your favorite experience playing alongside your home team rivals?
The B-Party is so great! It's really awesome to be able to completely villify your opponents because you never have to see those girls again. It's a lot of mental work to look at someone who's your friend on another team and forget that they always bring cookies to scrimmage or are really funny. But with B-party you get to skate WITH those people, instead of against. So it was pretty awesome.
I've only skated with B-Team once so far, in Montreal. Onskates, my favorite moment was having Maude Forbid as a manager. It was mega-strange playing with Pissahs, even weirder to be managed by one.
Offskates I'm having a hard time choosing between the afterparty with La Racaille and snuggling up next to Buttercup in the hotel room.
Do you know why the Caged Bird sings?
I don't 'know,' but I have a theory: she knows the Nutcrackers are poised to keep the Fez Cup in September.
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07/13/10 | 
